The Government outflanks the international education establishment by presenting a 100 per cent plus hike in the student visa application fee as an equity measure.
On Monday morning ministers announced, effective immediately, the student visa was $1400, up from $710.
“This increase reflects the increasing value of education in Australia and reflects the Albanese Government’s commitment to restoring integrity in the international education sector,” is the pitch. However, the announcement also includes messages for voters who see international education as a synonym for immigration.
“When we came to government, we inherited a migration system that was broken and dysfunctional, and an international education system which was being compromised by rorts and exploitation,” is the lead quote from Home Affairs Minister Claire O’Neil.
Complaints from the international education establishment, via their proxies in the press, were loud within an hour but the Education Minister ensured they would be widely discounted as interest-group pleading, by presenting the increased fee as an equity initiative.
“These changes will strengthen integrity in the international education system and help to fund important reforms recommended by the Universities Accord, including making HECS fairer, paid prac and expanding FEE-Free Uni Ready courses,” Mr Clare stated.
The visa hike is another in a series of measures by the government that present international education as a migration pathway that needs narrowing.
A couple of weeks back Mr Clare was asked on Sky News whether international student numbers come up in Labor Party research. He replied, “buggered if I know mate, I don’t look at focus groups.”
Monday’s announcement appears to indicate somebody does.
